


Little Girl

by IsobelSionisFalcone



Series: Daughter of Steel [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Adopted Daughter, Danse spoils kids, M/M, Mommy Arthur, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-03
Updated: 2017-10-03
Packaged: 2019-01-08 17:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12259035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsobelSionisFalcone/pseuds/IsobelSionisFalcone
Summary: Danse and Arthur agreed to take on the challenge of parenthood together. Five years later, their adopted teenage daughter is late home. Needless to say, they're very worried.





	Little Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Just a fun little fic that I wanted to share with my readers. Plus, I'm so hot for Arthur/Danse. Couldn't be hotter for anything else, so here they are, trying to be decent parents.

Arthur still had doubts about parenthood, even after raising a child for five years. He had decided with Danse to take in a then ten year old Hailey, a sweet little girl wandering through the ruins of Boston in a pink button-up coat and sneakers to match. She'd had the survival instincts of a old veteran, selling scrap and sleeping in caved buildings, able to survive on only a single can of water and a few Dandy Boy apples a day. At the time, neither of the two men had put any forethought into the troublesome teenage years, absorbed in a pleasant and intelligent girl who always made them smile.

He was beginning to regret the lack of planning for her inevitable rebellious stage.

"She's not picking up her phone," Danse said as he emerged from the bedroom, his voice laced with as much panic as was making Arthur's gut twist. "Where did she say she was going?"

"A friend's Halloween party," Arthur replied gruffly from the sofa. "Somewhere near Concord."

Danse breathed a sigh of relief. "At least we know there are no raiders or ferals there, now. The location was cleared only a few days ago."

"We need to search for her," he said, rising suddenly, fists clenched and head pounding. Danse's face fell almost at once and Arthur knew exactly what he was thinking. The Paladin had always been the one to spoil Hailey. "We can't worry about her ridiculous sensibilities," the Elder said. "The party was supposed to have finished over two hours ago. Wouldn't you rather risk embarrassing her over discovering her remains in a ditch-"

"Yes, alright," Danse as good as snapped to shut his lover up. One of the Brotherhood's hardiest and most experienced soldiers, the Paladin had been exposed to plenty of blood, guts and gore, but the moment Hailey was brought into any such hypothetical scenario, he shied away and refused to acknowledge the horrible truth of the ugly Commonwealth; it was no place for a child, no matter how bad Hailey's attitude. However, Arthur could now practically see Danse processing the information he'd just received, his dark brows furrowing before he said; "We're... an embarrassment?"

"Proctor Ingram assures me it's an effect of having an adolescent daughter," Arthur informed him. "Right now, her safety is my primary concern. I can request a Vertibird for immediate departure to Concord."

"I'll get my power armour," Danse said, bolting for the door to the office.

"We'll need to split up to cover more ground," Arthur suggested. "You can take the South side, I'll take the North and if we see anyone, we can question..." He trailed off as he noticed Danse stood at the door, his lip curled in thought. "What is it now?"

The Paladin sighed looked back at Arthur, brows knitted with worry. "You don't think we're... overreacting, do you?" He shifted uneasily and, once again, Arthur knew he was putting Hailey's feelings before her safety.

"No," he scowled. "My heart is telling me something's wrong. I can't ignore that. I know when it's appropriate to trust my instincts..."

Just then, a knock against the steely door resonated throughout the room. The two men glanced at each other before Arthur called; "Enter," and sat back down. His pulse spiked when Captain Cade opened the door and he rose again immediately.

"I picked up a stray for you, Elder..." he said, guiding a rather dazed Hailey into the room. Her pale nose (that Cade had thankfully treated and bandaged) was badly bruised and bloodied and she didn't seem to be able to fucus properly.

"Jesus Christ," Arthur hissed. "Where the hell have you been, Hailey? What happened to you? We were about to call out a search party."

"I don't wanna talk about it," she muttered, a strand of dark brown hair falling over her face. "I need... I need bed... So tired..."

"What's wrong with her?" the Elder demanded. "Has she sustained a concussion as she can barely hold a conversation?"

"No, nothing like that, Elder," Cade responded. "I had to administer some Med-Ex for the pain - a broken nose is all. She'll be fine. I'm confident it will heal quickly, although she may be a lethargic for a few hours."

Hailey gave a whine and nearly tripped over her own feet (Arthur had told her those heels were too high), so Danse stepped forward and with a barely audible "I'll take her," he scooped her up and carried her to the sofa, where he gently laid her down. The Elder thanked Captain Cade and dismissed him, a little annoyed to find Danse stroking Hailey's hair as he let her place her head in his lap.

Danse was most definitely the softer parent.

Arthur surveyed the scene before him for a few more moments, eventually slumping down on the sofa next to Danse and lifting Hailey's legs over his. He could save the stern words for tomorrow. Right then, he removed her heels and gently rubbed the backs of her ankles where angry red marks were beginning to form. He felt a little discontent stab at his heart that his daughter had a life outside of him, outside of the Brotherhood. A life in which she needed to wear heels and makeup and short skirts just to feel comfortable in her own skin.

"Can you remember what happened, Hailey?" Danse asked, tenderly smoothing down her unruly tendrils.

"When?" she murmured groggily, snuggling into the larger of her two fathers as Arthur removed his coat and draped it over her. He'd noticed the goosebumps prickling across her skin and she was no stranger to the heavy garment; she often 'borrowed' it when she was cold.

"How did you break your nose, sweetheart?" Maxson clarified, having the restrain the edge in his voice.

"Wasn't me," she told them, feebly pulling the coat further around her shoulders, although Danse had to lend a hand; she couldn't grip anything properly. "I just asked this guy what the time was... And he punched me in the face."

Danse almost laughed, but for the fact that it was his daughter some drunken bastard had decked. Arthur could practically hear the questions his partner wanted to ask; who is he, where is he, can I take him?

"Can I have cuddles, now?" Hailey asked and neither of them were surprised. She loved attention, especially when she was feeling sorry for herself.

The Paladin took over in that pursuit, helping her sit up just enough to draw her into a sideways embrace. "How did you get back to the Prydwen?" He asked.

"Panicked..." she replied. "Used a signal grenade."

"You're lucky it wasn't more serious," Arthur began, but he conceded when Danse threw him a warning glare. He sighed and held up his hands in surrender, then fell back to rubbing her ankles.

Hailey yawned, but the action made her wince and groan in pain. "What are we going to do with you?" Danse chuckled as he kissed the top of her head.

The teenager sniffed (she'd obviously been crying before - Arthur now noticed her makeup was smudged) and they both knew the self-pitying tears weren't far away. They also knew they'd never be able to deny her anything once she started crying. It tore them in half.

Once again, Danse pressed a kiss to her hair and said; "when you can eat without your nose hurting, you can have a box of Fancy Lads."

Arthur resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Thank you, Dad," she mumbled happily into the orange fabric of Danse's uniform.

"I've got to finish reading Proctor Quinlain's reports," the Elder said as he stood. "You could do with getting some rest, Hailey."

"Can I sleep here, tonight?" She pleaded, blinking up at Danse with big, radstag doe eyes. "I don't want to be alone after all of that Med-Ex."

Arthur observed the glazed look in her eyes and her jelly-like limbs. "That would probably be best," he said. "That way, we're not too far if you need anything."

Danse maneuvered her so he could stand up, but he made sure the battle coat was wrapped around every inch of her body as she lay back down and he announced that his power armour needed repairs. Before he left the room and before Arthur sat at his desk, Hailey murmured;

"Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, sweetheart," the two men said in unison. There would be plenty of incidents like this to come, but they realised they would never regret taking Hailey in. She would always be their little girl at heart.


End file.
